Windmill



' (No Model.) 2'Sheets-Sheet 1.

WILLIAMS.

V WINDMILL. I No. 26529; Patented Sept. 26.- 1882.

,rvlllllLlll v jwfiazwm/ w ww Zzzuerzt (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. WILLIAMS.

WINDMILL.

No. 265,203. Patented Sept. 26, 1882.

J: Inuenor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD WILLIAMS, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,203, datedSeptember 26, 1882,

' Application filed November 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD WILLIAMS, ofDubuque, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Windmills; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in windmills, the principal andesseiitial object of which is to avoid the employment of thecommonlyused hinged tail vane and varying weight, and to construct awheel whose component parts shall be of simple and effectiveconstruction and arrangement, and shall at all times be self-governin g,regardless of the state of the weather.

To this end theinvention consists principally in the employment of agovernor which, in combination with certain suitable mechanism, willperform the operation of adjusting the sails to the wind automatically,and thus do away with the hinged tail-vane; further, in the employmentof a stationary vane split and curved outwardly at its outer end andrigidly secured at its inner end to the beams composing the turn-tableupon which the whole is mounted; further, in the peculiar constructionof the sails and the manner and means employed in attaching them to thewheel and governor; and, finally, in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of other certain mechanism, more fully hereinafterdescribed, and designated in the claims.

To enable persons skilled in the art to which myinvention appertains toknow how to make and use the same,.I will proceed to fully describe thesame with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of the entire mill; Fig. 2, a detail view, showingthe construction of thesails; Fig. 3, a detail view of the partscomposing the hinge employed for attaching the sails to the wheel andgovernor; Fig. 4, a plan view of the face of the wheel and hub withthesails removed; Fig. 5, a plan view of the mill with part of the wheelbroken away; Fig. 6, a detail view of the ring or yoke K and rods orpins 70 is secured therein; Fig. 7, a detail of one of the arms L, withits levers or arms connecting the ring K with the wheel and governor;Fig. 8, a detail view of the clutch-rods M M, which clasp andreciprocate the ring K when operated on; and Fig. 9, a central verticalsection taken through the beams O O, derrick B, and base or tower A.

Like letters denote corresponding parts 'in each figure of the drawings.

A represents any suitable base, provided at its center with a step oroil-cup, a, in which the turn-table has bearing and revolves. Thisturn-table is preferably composed of two upright beams or posts, 0 G,secured together at their upper ends by the lower half of the shaftbearings or boxes 61 d, composed of a solid piece of metal, and at theirlower ends by a block provided with a journal-bearing, b, which rests inthe step or oil-cupa of the base. At about the center, and between thetwo posts or beams O O, is secured another block, 0, provided with twofriction-rollers, 00, which bear against a circular frame, D, in the topof the derrick B, and which is employed as a support and guide for theturn-table and to facilitate 7 5 the easy revolution thereof.

The axis-shaft E of the wheel is mounted in the boxes or bearings 01 cl,whose lower half fits over and secures the top of the turn-table,

.as shown in Fig. l. On the outer end of this shaft is journaled thespider or hub F, with its usual radial arms, to each of which is securedan arm, G, of the wheel, extending outwardly to a band or tire, H, andbent over at its end and riveted thereto. An inner band or tire, I, towhich the lower or inner ends of the sails are pivoted, is made secureto the arms G by means of aloop, I, passed around said arms and rivetedto the said inner band or tire, I, as shown in Fig. 1. The sails J, pivo oted at their lower ends to the inner band or tire, I, j ustdescribed,are curved attwo of their edges in directions at nearly right angles totheir face. The inner edge, or that attached to the band or tire H, iscurved outwardly, as 5 shown at 0, Fig. 2, and the upper edge orperimeter above the band H is curved outwardly,

as shown at 6, same figure. The object of thus curving the edges ofthese sails is to afford abetter exposure to the wind, or, in otherwords,

prevent the wind, in striking their faces, from glancing off toosuddenly Without producing a sutficient amount of force to give a goodspeed of rotation to the wheel. Therefore, by curving the edges as abovedescribed they act as an obstruction or stop to the wind, and therebyenable it to exert sufficient force on the sails to give a good speed ofrotation to the wheel. These sails are also provided at their centerswith an opening, f, as shown in Fig. 2, through which the band or tire Hof the wheel passes. To strengthen these sails they are bent over attheir outer edges, or those outside of the band H, as shown at gin Fig.2, under which edges are inserted rods of metal or other strong materialsufficient to prevent the wind, regardless of its force, from bending orbreaking them.

To the hack of the sails are secured two metal strips, h h, which form,in connection with a metal rod, *5, a suitable hinge, of T shape, forattaching the sails to the wheel. The construction of these devices isshown in Fig. 3. The strip h is firmly secured to the back of each sail,immediately under the openingf, and is provided a little to the right ofits center with a projectiomj. cast therewith, and which projectsoutwardly about two inches, the reason for this specified distance beingto obtain a. good leverage, as will be evident to those acquainted withthe state of the art. This strip h is slit horizontally at its inner endfor the reception of the governor band ortire H, to which it isattached, as shown in Fig. 1. The strip h is secured to each sail at thelower end thereof, and has the same projectiomj, as strip h, but doesnot project out quite such a distance. The metal rod t referred topasses through holes in these projections and through the bands H and F,and is secured at its ends by nuts or other means suitable to preventitsslipping through. These sails, so attached to the wheel, are permitted alateral free and independent movement.

Around the shaft or axle of the wheel, and to the rear of the wheel, issuspended a ring or yoke, K, about twice the diameter of the shaft andhub. This ring or yoke is suspended around theshaft by two pins or rods,79 7c, secured into ears Z I, cast on the perimeter of said ring, asshown in- Fig. 6. These rods extend outwardly and pass through holes inthe arms of the hub or spider, and reciprocate therein when actuated bythe mechanism presently to be described. These ears I l of the ring oryoke K have cast therewith extensionsm m, to which are pivoted levers orarms a a, which extend diagonally outward, and are pivoted at theiropposite ends to levers 0 0 of the two arms L L of the band or tire H.These arms L L are pivoted at their inner ends to the hub or spider F,and extend outwardly in opposite directions to the band or tire H of thewheel, where they are pivoted, so as to readily and freely turn whenoperated on.

To the outer end of each arm L, immediately inside of the band H, isfirmly secured an arm, 1), extending inwardly at right angles thereto,and pivoted to the governor band or tire H of the wheel, as shown inFig. 1. Theconnection of these levers and arms is shown in Fig. 7.

The ring K, with its levers and arms connecting the bands or tirestherewith, is operated backward and forward by rods M M, having bearingsin the shaft bearin gs or boxes d cl, as shown, and connecting with aweight, N, by a rope or wire fastened to their inner ends, as shown inFig. 1. The outer end of each of these rods M is formed into a clutch orbook, 1", which clasp the ring or yoke K at points opposite each other.The inner ends next the tail-vane are connected together by a metalstrap, 8, to which isfastened at its center a rope or wire, t, passingover a pulley, a, mounted in an angular extension, o, of theshaftbearings, and having attached at its lower end a dead-weight, N.

The tail-vane O, rigidly secured to the two upright beams O O oftheturn-table by the arms w w, is split at its outer end and curvedoutwardly in directions opposite each other, the object of this beingthe same as set forth in the description of the sails.

The driving-rod P is attached to the crankarm ofthe shaft E in theordinary manner, and passes down between the two upright beams U 0through holes in the block 0, journalbearing 1), and step a, and isconnected to the device the mill is intended to operate.

The operation is as follows The wheel, being set with the sails at themost efficient angle of presentation to the wind,is held in position bythe weight N- When the force of the wind is greater than the resistanceoffered by the weight its increased power tends to force the edges ofthe sailsto the wind by getting a hold under the curved edges thereof,causing the governor band or tire H, to which the sails are attached, toturn backward, thereby transmittin g a movement (to raise the weight)through the arms and levers connecting with the rim or yoke K, and therodsMM,with their hooks r "r, clasping such ring or yoke. As the forceof the wind abates the weight N falls to its normal position, thusdrawing back the rods M M, which in turn draw back the ring or yoke Kand the arms or lovers 1?. n, and pulling around the arms 0 0, they turnthe two radial arms L L of the governor band or tire H and the arms orlevers p p and the band H, thus causing the sails to assume their normalangle of presentation to the wind by a complete reverse movement of theconnecting mechanism.

Having thus described my invention and its operation, What I claim asnew therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a windmill, the sails of the wheel,

curved at their upper and inner edges and strengthened at their outeredge, substantially as described and shown.

2. In a windmill, the combination, with the sails-J and bands or tiresH, H, and I, constructed and arranged substantially as described andshown, of the T-shaped hinges, composed of the parts h, h, and t,secured to the back of said sails, and attached to said bands or tiresin the manner substantially as described, shown, and for the purpose setforth.

3. In a windmill, the combination, with the shaft E, hub or spider F,and arms G, rigidly secured to band or tire H, of the inner band ortire, I, provided withloops I, through which pass the arms G, and bywhich theinner band or tire is secured to said arms, the several partsconstructed and arranged substantially as described and shown.

4. In a windmill, the combination, with the shaft E, hub or spider F,and arms G, of the inner band or tire, I, provided with loops 1,

passing around said arms, outer band or wheel, H, passing throughopening f made in the sails, governing band or tire H, attached to theinner edge of the sails, and the sails J ,the

several parts constructed, arranged, and operating substantially asdescribed, shown, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In the windmill described, the combination, with the shaft E, hub orspider F, arms G, bands or tires H H I, and sails J, constructed andarranged substantially as described and shown, of the ring or yoke K,provided with the ears 1 land extensionsmm, and suspended around saidshaft between the hub and shaft-bearings by means of the rods k 70,passing into and through'the arms of said hub or spider, substantiallyas described, shown, and for the purpose set forth.

6. In the windmill described, the combination, with the dead-weight N,means for suspending it, clutch-rods M M, and ring or yoke K,constructed and arranged substantially as described and shown, of thearms a n, levers 0 0, arms L L, having bearin gs in the bands or tires Iand H, respectively, levers p p, governing band or tire H, and sails J,the several parts constructed arranged, and operating substantially asdescribed, shown, and for the purpose set forth.

7. In the windmill described, the combination, with the turn-table O O,secured at its upper end, substantially as described and shown, of thetail-vane 0, split and curved at its outer end, and rigidly secured atits inner end to the top of the turn-table by the arms w to,substantially as described, shown, and-for the purpose set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 10th day of September,1881.

hi WILLIAMS.

mark

E D WARD

